The present invention relates to a device for removing lint from a screen such as a computer monitor screen.
Televisions were introduced to the public and have steadily increased in popularity until now almost every household in the United States includes at least one, and frequently multiple, television sets. This ubiquitousness has only increased with the introduction of the personal computer. Essentially every personal computer is accompanied by or integrated with a monitor that is not much more than a specialized television.
At the simplest level, both televisions and computer monitors are cathode-ray tubes. A cathode-ray tube is a near vacuum tube, having at one end a negative electrode (a cathode), and a device called an electron gun that emits a beam of electrons against the screen at the opposite end of the tube. A bright spot appears wherever the electrons strike the screen. The electrons are accelerated and focused to strike the screen as a fine point. Between the electron gun and the screen, deflecting plates control the up and down and left to right motion of the beam. In practice, the beam sweeps horizontally across the screen creating images thereon. In most, if not all cathode-ray tubes, the screen is arcuate so that the electrons travel an identical distance from the gun to the screen. One of the side effects of this technology is the creation of a negative charge on the screen. Further, negative charges are created on other types of screens. For example, lap top computers employ LCD screens and negative charges tend to build up on these screens as well.
This charge, coupled with the arcuate face, increases the tendency of dust and lint to collect on the face of the screen. This lint and dust not only obscures the screen causing strain on the eyes of the viewer, but also may contribute to allergies, sinus problems or otherwise create discomfort when the dust is disturbed. It should be noted that this lint and dust has a slight positive charge as a result of its proximity to the negatively charged screen.
In the past, people have used cloth wipes to clean these screens. While this does remove the dust and lint, it may also abrade or mar the surface of the screen as the lint is dragged across the screen. Sometimes people use chemicals that may or may not be suitable for use on the screen. Filmy deposits left behind by these chemicals may damage the surface of the screen or form a residue that obscures the screen.
Thus, there remains a need for a device that removes lint from a screen without the need to touch the screen, thereby avoiding damage to the screen. Additionally, this device should have a housing which cleans the device between uses and prevents emission of the lint to the air.
Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent and obvious from a study of the following description and the accompanying drawings which are merely illustrative of such invention.
The problems of the prior art are addressed by providing a case lined with wool. The case is preferably slotted on one side such that a generally planar delinter may be inserted therein. The delinter is formed from a planar, piece of plastic having a handle therearound. In a preferred embodiment, the handle is a paper sheath that protects the plastic from human contact on all but one edge. The paper sheath is secured to the plastic by an adhesive that may be used to heat fuse the paper to the plastic.
In use, the delinter is inserted into the case until such time as it is needed to clean the screen of a computer or television. At that time, the delinter is drawn from the case, effectively dragging the plastic edge not covered by the sheath across the wool lining. This creates a negative charge, or at least a charge that is opposite the charge of the dust or lint particles, on the plastic edge. The edge is brought into contact with the screen. The oppositely charged lint on the surface of the screen will be electrostaticly attracted to the delinter and adhere thereto. With a few simple swipes, the lint and dust is effectively removed from the surface of the screen, thereby allowing unhindered use thereof. Reinsertion of the delinter into the case again rubs the exposed edge on the wool, effectively removing accumulated lint from the exposed edge.